WELL, THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY, YOU KNOW: The Navy Plans to Put HELIOS Laser Weapon on Destroyer by 2021. And this seems about right: “HELIOS is not a quantum leap above existing systems, but then again, early guns like the matchlock were in some ways inferior to the bow and arrow. Eventually, as firearms technology progressed, the gunpowder gun progressed to the point where it was clearly superior. As laser weapons become more powerful, they could quickly become much more effective than conventional gun and missile weapons.”